How sweet: Colorado Ballet Auxiliary to present its Nutcracker Sugarplums

Sugarplum Alum Elle Margaret Smith drapes her dad, Jeff, in toilet paper during a mummy-making activity that was part of a Harvest Party held in October at Denver Country Club.

One of the sweetest events of the season is to occur the day after Thanksgiving, when Colorado Ballet Auxiliary hosts its annual Sugarplum Ball at the Brown Palace Hotel.

The ball is a time for family and friends to gather for the initial presentation of the 2011 Nutcracker Sugarplums. The 25 second-graders will be introduced again on Nov. 26 when Colorado Ballet opens its seasonal run of “The Nutcracker” at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Leslie Dewell Smith is the Sugarplum program chair; Alyson Graves is coordinating the ball, with help from committees headed by Ghislaine Bruner, Cathy O’Neal, Stephanie Linafelter, Kimberly Hak, Deborah Donovan and Katy Brown.

In the months leading up to the big nights, the Sugarplums have been fitted for their presentation dresses and taken part in activities that include an etiquette tea, a mother-daughter tea, a harvest-themed party and a holiday toy drive. Auxiliary members hosting these events were Hilary Gerlach, Liz Arnold, Rosalina Diecidue, Connie Plumleigh, Stacy McHugh, Kathleen Dammen, Andrea Stevens and Sara Ritz.

The 2011 Sugarplums, with biographies compiled and written by the Sugarplum committee, are:

Anna Scott Arnold, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Arnold of Denver. Anna enjoys ballet and will be in a Nutcracker performance with the Denver Conservatory this December. She is playing the angel, a mouse and a bon bon. She also enjoys gymnastics and is a black diamond skier. She loves math, and playing math games, but also likes to draw, too. Her favorite places to travel are to New Zealand and Hawaii. Her favorite movie (much like Hawaii) is “Soul Surfer.”

Sophia Birner, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mark Birner of Denver. She is a skilled horseback rider who loves to ski in the winter. She also loves rainbow sherbet instead of plain ice cream, and her favorite song is Taylor Swift’s What I like about You.

Julia Cole, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Cole of Denver. Julia loves ice cream, especially Denali Extreme Moose Tracks, orange sherbet creamsicle and orange sherbet. She is a great piano player, and also can do a convincing witch laugh. She likes to swim and bike, and if she could have any pet, she would choose to have a new pet each month. She would start with a giraffe in August, because according to Julia, they are good animals for August.

Paris Corporon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Corporon of Englewood. She is passionate about sports, and she plays soccer very well. Someday, she hopes to be a veterinarian. Her favorite ice cream flavor is blue cotton candy, and she would rather swim in the summer to cool off from the summer heat.

Morgan Divita, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Divita of Littleton. She is passionate about ballet and loves ballet class and gymnastics. Her favorite ice cream flavors are strawberry and chocolate. She would rather be swimming in the summer than skiing in the winter because she likes warm weather, especially vacationing in Los Cabos, Mexico. She also loves to sing to Taylor Swift every chance she gets.

Lizzie Elliott, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. J. Paul Elliott of Cherry Hills Village. She is a very accomplished soccer player and swimmer. She likes to swim in the summer, and if she could pick any vacation, she would go to the Galapagos Islands. For a pet, she would pick a dog because they can be your best friend. Her favorite book and movie include all of the Harry Potter series.

Izzy Espinoza, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Espinoza of Denver. She is passionate about helping people and swimming, but also loves the snow and skiing in the winter. She likes to vacation in Steamboat Springs and when she’s an adult she hopes to be a mommy. Her favorite song is Somebody to Love by Justin Beiber and her favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.

Emory Gerlach, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gerlach of Denver. She is passionate about reading and is also a gymnast and skier. This active girl loves visiting her great grandma’s ranch in Wyoming and skiing in Chaos Canyon in Vail.

Sophia Saylor Giordano, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Giordano of Denver. She loves art, especially painting. If she could pick any ice cream flavor to eat it would be lemon sorbet. She likes to ski because she can go fast and ski with friends, but she also likes to swim and jump in the water and make cannonballs. She is a very good soccer player, and likes to sing too.

Georgia Kane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Kane. She is passionate about singing, dancing and theater, and is a great singer. When she gets older she hopes to be a designer and design dresses and clothes. She doesn’t believe in ghosts but she believes in magic, and also likes rainbow sherbet when she’s in the mood for ice cream. If she could have any pet, it would be a monkey.

Grace Linafelter, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rod Linafelter of Cherry Hills Village. Grace hopes to be a teacher when she grows up, and would like to have a turtle for a pet because it is her favorite animal. She loves to ski and her favorite ice cream is crazy cookie dough on top of mint chocolate chip. Her favorite place to relax on vacation after all of that skiing, is Hawaii.

Isabelle Louis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ehlias Louis of Denver. Isabelle is passionate about art, and is really, really good at math. She loves to ski and wants to be a ski racer, and hopefully a mother someday. She likes to vacation in Park City, Utah, and if she could have any pet she would have an otter because Isabelle thinks they are cute and do funny tricks. She likes to sing to Get Your Sparkle On.

Chloe Malley, daughter of Elaine Weng and Dr. Thomas Malley of Englewood. She is passionate about art because she says you can draw anything. Chole says that art makes her happy, especially when she can hang art up in her room and later on look at it. Her favorite ice cream is cookie dough, and she thinks cats are furry and cute. She would rather swim in the summer because she loves swimming and can go anywhere in the pool, although if she could choose, she would pick swimming in Hawaii.

Gracie McHugh, daughter of Dr. Stacy McHugh and Jerome McHugh, Jr. of Denver. Gracie hopes to be an artist and a fashion designer because she likes to create things that inspire her. She doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she does believe in magic, because she says it’s interesting to watch and seems real. She likes to sing and takes singing lessons, and her favorite songs right now are Break Your Heart and Dynamite by Taio Cruz.

Annalee Miner, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Scott Miner of Denver. She lives to sing, especially to Taylor Swift, and she is very good at skiing, soccer and sharing. She also likes mint chocolate chip ice cream and vacations in the mountains. Her favorite movie is “Winnie the Pooh.” It’s a really old movie that to her, just never gets old.

Elle Morris, daughter of Jane Ford and Parks Morris of Denver. She likes mint chocolate chip ice cream and when she’s an adult, Elle hopes to be a doctor. She likes to swim and play with her friends, and likes the idea of a Hawaiian getaway. If she could have any pet it would be a lemur because they are cute and have a lot of energy.

Ainsley Nalen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Nalen of Englewood. She loves vanilla ice cream and is a really good swimmer. She loves to swim in the summer and if she could choose she would pick a vacation to California at the Montage in Laguna Beach. She also likes dogs, especially goldendoodles and labradoodles.

Grayson Parsley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Parsley of Englewood. She is passionate about singing, and likes rainbow sorbet for ice cream. She is a great big sister. Her favorite place to vacation is the beach in South Carolina because she loves to swim in the ocean with her dad. If she could have any pet she would have a gerbil because she thinks they are really cool.

Isabelle Ritz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Ritz of Cherry Hills Village. She attends Colorado Academy and is passionate about fashion. She would rather swim in the summer than ski in the winter, and likes to vacation in France and New York. She loves strawberry ice cream and watching the movie “Free Willy.”

Natalie Grace Robertson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Robertson of Cherry Hills Village. She is passionate about gymnastics because she thinks its fun and challenging to do. Choosing a favorite ice cream flavor is too tough because she loves dark chocolate and cookie dough. If she could go on a vacation anywhere it would be to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty. She also would like a pet Chihuahua because they are very small and cute. She would take it everywhere and even dress it up. She also likes the movie “Soul Surfer.”

Khaki Sawyer, daughter of Drs. Kate and Michael Sawyer of Denver. Her favorite movie is “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,” and her favorite book is Judy Moody Girl Detective. If she could vacation anywhere it would be New Orleans so she could go to Mardi Gras. Her favorite ice cream is peach. Someday she hopes to be a veterinarian, dancer or even a detective just like Judy Moody.

Bailey Lynn Shelden, daughter of Kittie Hook and Charles Shelden of Denver. She is passionate about cooking, and someday hopes to be a veterinarian. Her favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip, and she also likes to vacation at the cottage on Lake Wabessa in Wisconsin. She likes the snow and she likes to sing. Her favorite book is Kylie the Carnival Fairy and her favorite movie is “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.”

Kendall Stevens, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Stevens of Denver. She loves to make other people laugh, which could be a great trait later in her life since she hopes to be a doctor someday. She would love to have a dog to play with, and believes in magic and ghosts. She is a great gymnast and also loves to sing. Her favorite song is Dynamite by Taio Cruz.

Riley Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Stewart of Greenwood Village. She loves running and art and one day wants to become an artist or art teacher. Her favorite book is Ivy & Bean and she also likes Taylor Swift, especially when she can sing to You Belong with Me. She likes to vacation in Disneyland and has a sweet tooth: she loves chocolate ice cream with chocolate magic-shell.

Claire van Kempen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wouter van Kempen of Cherry Hills Village. She really likes gymnastics, but when she grows up she hopes to be a veterinarian or zoo keeper. She already has a rabbit, a puppy and a fish to start her training. She believes in magic, and likes the movie “Soul Surfer.” She also likes to read the book Good Night Little Bunny.